Fear Is For the Sane
by SereneSins
Summary: Slave trafficking was a job that Sophie had never expected to be thrown into. She was a drug dealer, not a slave trader. Thrown to the wolves and dragged into chaos, Sophie has to keep her guard up or else insanity will dig its poisonous fangs into her. This new life is nothing close to what she wanted. She concludes that Fate is one cruel bitch with a twisted sense of humor. [OC]
1. Prologue

Eyes were wide with fear. Adrenaline pumped through her veins. Her heart pounding against her chest, deafening any noise around her. It felt too unreal. It was like a dream that had started crumbling. An island paradise turned into an island of monster. She had no idea how she can make it out alive, return home to her parents. Her bed. For the first time genuine terror clawed inside of her. It pushed her forward. She wanted it to end. She no longer to wished to be on this island.

A yelp tore through her lips when her foot caught hold of a branch. She went crashing to the ground with a painful thump. A bullet whistled above her, embedding itself into a tree in front of her.

"There you are, hermana!" Came the all too familiar voice of the very monster she was running from. A creature that God himself feared. The womans eyes closed and sobs shook her body. She pushed her face into the dirt, trying to hide in with the foliage around her. She desperately wanted the ground to swallow her up. Snapping of twigs and the thumps of footsteps were making their way towards her. With each snap of a twig, each soft crunch of a leaf, it made her body tense more and more. It felt like he was purposely stepping on every twig he can see just to torment her. To make it obvious that she cannot escape.

"It's really fucking rude when you just run off like that, you know?" The voice spoke up again. She can feel him next to her, kneeling to the right of her. Her sobs stayed locked in her throat. Her fear was making it hard to breathe. She found her voice and mumbled words into the dirt. A cry ripped from her throat when a large hand tangled itself in her hair and roughly pulled her head up.

"Look me in the eye when you're fucking talking." The man hissed at her. He twisted her hair around his hand and kept her head up. The pain in her head was unbearable. The look in his eyes caused her stomach to drop. The frown on his face, the anger evident. Why did this had to happen to her?

"I-I want to go home…" she answered him, fresh tears falling from her face. The mans facial expression did not change. It stayed frozen in anger. The feeling of being around him was suffocating. Around his eyes were dark giving him that demonic appearance. The scar going across the left side of his head stuck out as a reminder that this man had been through more things than she can ever imagine. He had power. Frightening power. His hair was styled in such a strange way, much different than the men she had seen where she had awakened to hours earlier. His pupils were dilated from some drug he may have taken. It made him more frightening to the woman on the ground. She had dealt with those on drugs before and they were always unpredictable.

"After I've been so generous, hermana?" He questioned. There was a pause. He shook his head, tsking as he did so. "All right, you can go home." Slowly a smile spread across her face, eyes shining with hope. Tears streamed down her face at the thought of returning.

"R-really?" She questioned happily. He was going to let her return home. He was really going to let her go home. "I promise, I promise I won't say a thing." She assured him. He smiled at her. Releasing her hair, he pat her head. She was too busy lost in her mind over the fact he said he was going to release her that she didn't notice his other hand going to a gun holder at his side.

"No," he answered her. She almost didn't hear him. She paused, her eyes growing wide. Her lips became chapped. She was too frozen to speak. "I'm going to put a bullet right into your skull," he placed a finger at his temple and clicked his tongue.

"It's a shame, hermana. You would have fetched a nice price." He placed the barrel of the gun against her head. She stared at him, the fright even more intense than it was moments ago.

"No, please, no, no, no, no-" BANG

Birds cawed as they quickly flapped their wings to get away from the loud noise. Everything went cold. Went dark. There were no noises. Nothing. Just black.


	2. The New Job

**Warning(s)**: Language, drug use, & drug reference.

* * *

With each passing moment the heat felt like it was rising. People all around the beach were reapply sunblock to their skin to protect from sunburn. The waves were rolling in steadily as they did every day. Seagulls were on the shore trying to gather up any food they can find. Children screamed in joy and parents yelling back with worry. It was like any other day at the beach for Sophie. She stood in the sand in front of a small group of five people. A family had decided to come and ask her about surfing. She happily agreed to teach them after they paid their price. Now she was reciting the basics.

"Just like that, Kimmy." Sophie encouraged the youngest daughter with a grin, clapping her hands. The little girl giggled with joy. A bashful blush dusting across her cheeks.

"If you're all ready to hit the waters we can do that whenever." She said looking towards the other four members of the family. A mother, a father, two sisters and a brother made up the family. The oldest siblings had to have been in their late teens. They looked very alike besides height stature. Sophie silently wished she had a twin. It would make things go by so much easier. The family gave her the green light to continue with their lesson and so she grabbed her board from the sand. Waddling her way in the water backwards she kept a close eye on the family. The cooling water brushing across her legs comfortably. She loved the water. There was no denying that.

When they were out far enough she climbed on her board laying flat on her stomach to paddle out some more where the bigger waves were. The family was doing a decent job staying afloat. She was worried about the youngest — she was only ten. They had already signed the weavers for any damages they may sustain were from their own doing.

"All right folks, get ready." Sophie said watching as a wave started to form. She watched as the twins paddled out in front of her at once. She tugged at the sleeve of her rash guard as she watched them. The daughter had done a quick duck dive to the wave while her brother popped up and attempted to ride. She cheered him on. He looked to have the hang of it. The voices of his family came from behind her. He started to wobble. It caused her to worry a little bit but the wave was too small too drag him under too far. He seemed to have noticed he couldn't regain his foot so he leaned over allowing himself to fall off.

A chorus of oohs reached her ears. Kicking her feet Sophie watched as the young man's head bobbled to the surface next to his board.

"Keep trying," Sophie called to him with a grin. He raised his hand and climbed back onto his board. Sophie's eyes went to the daughter who was heading towards another wave that was coming in. She watched closely until something tapped on her shoulder. Glancing to her side she came across the mother of the children.

"I think someone is calling for you…?" Sophie looked towards the coastline and sure enough someone was.

"It's important, ma'am. I'm sorry. He'll be taking over for now." Sophie casted her an apologetic smile before paddling out. She handed the long board to the man and grabbed the phone quickly without uttering a word.

"I got a job for you," came an all too familiar rough voice. She rolled her eyes. If it was another pushing scandal she could it here. The teens looked like they could use some Mary J. Especially the mother. Though Sophie was sure she was on something else already. She was brought back from her thoughts by a cough from her father.

"I'll give you details when you get home." There was a tone in his voice that made Sophie bite back any sort of argument. Hanging up on him she set the phone on the receiver and put the sign up 'Class in session.' Waving to the family out in sea with their new instructor she went into the shack to change her clothes. A pair of shorts with a plain white tank top and flip flops in hand. Simple and keeps her cool. She threw the rash guard behind the register where a small basket sat. Sophie took a quick sweep of the shop.

Boards of many sizes were hanging on the walls. Posters and neon signs flashed behind the counter where two registers sat. Many different kind of swim suits decorated the main floor. Wax and other items to help clean a board good looking were right next to the registers. Four stalls were set up in the back so people can try on their suits. And a small bathroom right at the very end of the hall. She loved working here. There was rarely a dull moment, especially with the large window that looked out towards the ocean. She quite enjoyed that on slow days. Smiling, Sophie quickly left to see what her father had in store for her.

Piling into her car Sophie shoved extra clothes she had brought with her to the back seat and grabbed the sunglasses that were hanging from her visor. Placing the shades on the bridge of her nose she ignited the engine and pulled out with a squeal. Normally it wasn't a long drive to her house, but today she decided to take the long way. Turning a left instead of going straight, she continued on her way. A few minutes passed and she took a right, slowing her car down as a familiar house came into view. An equally a familiar woman was sitting outside on the porch. Pulling up, Sophie gave a grin.

"Hey chicky, what you doing out here by your lonesome?" She called out from the window. The woman shot her a dirty look as she crossed strutted across the street with her nose in the air. Hips were swaying in obvious dramatics. The woman was ghastly white. Her eyes were dilated and heavy bags weighed underneath. Her face looked sunken in all together. Sophie noticed the cracked lips with the dried blood but said nothing. The woman before her was named Sally. She was a big buyer for cocaine. Poor woman had lost two kids to the system already, having used child support to pay for her habit.

Sophie didn't sympathize with her because she was the one that got the money. It wasn't her life, so it had no direct effect. A smile graced itself on the sickly woman's face.

"Soph! I need to go skiing tonight, so if you don't mind possibly…?" Sophie shook her head and put her car into park. Sally walked around the car and got into the passenger seat. Sophie took off soon as the seat belt clicked into place. The two remained silent until they turned off into a small alley. Sally handed over $120 and in return Sophie dug between her seats to grab onto a bag. Pulling it out, she waved the bulked white powder in the air with a grin on her face. The two traded their respective items and Sally quickly got out. Sophie waited a few moments before throwing the car into reverse and driving away. Looking to the stereo clock already told her she was later than she had intended to be.

As she was pulling up into the driveway, a tall man came out of the door. His arms were folded across his chest and a scowl on his face. Sophie already knew what was going to happen: a scolding about being on time. It was always the same thing. Time makes money. Is her father's favorite saying. Turning the car off she got out and jogged her way up to the man. She pivoted on her heel when he went to grab for her.

"You're about to ruin a fucking opportunity that you won't get again, and you're acting like a fucking child, Sophie. Time is—"

"—is money, I know." She cut him off quickly. Quickly she regretted it when his eyes narrowed. She coughed to clear her throat and put on her best smile.

"So, about this job?" His posture relaxed. A heavy hand landed on top of her head and messed up her hair. She smacked his hand away with a glare of her own.

"A friend of mine offered a job that I'm too old to get into. Instead I asked if he can take you under his wing to learn the trade." Sophie bit her lip. A friend of her fathers? She didn't know many people her father kept in touch with from his younger days. For all she knew they could be extreme coke heads. Those that didn't know their limits. She hated those kind of addicts. It was hard to resist the temptation to roll her eyes. Always a promise of the last line. A snap caused her to come back to the surface of her thoughts. Her father's face a mask of stone as he looked down at her.

"Sorry. A friend of yours had a job? Exactly what kind of job are we talking about here? If you're too old then I don't know what's that—"

"Backaches. It requires a lot of physical activities depending on your… rank, so to speak." Her father was choosing his words carefully. Sophie was growing suspicious of what kind of friend this was, and what job required something that her father had to use the back excuse. Then again, he'd used it to get out of doing housework. The task may just be a small run across the city. It wouldn't be the first time she had to do that. More money in their pockets. Hell, she'd even bike there if she had to if she got a cut of the profit.

Sophie nodded her head slowly. She eyed her father before pushing past him to walk into the house. The smell of pot instantly filled her nostrils. Laughing came from upstairs. Her father walked in and stood next to her, crossing his arms, and looked up at the ceiling.

"Who's here?"

"Josh and his friends."

"Ah."

Sophie gave a grin and rubbed her hands together. Her father beelined his way to a doorway and walked down the steps, closing the door behind him with a small slam. The sound of locks were heard. He was going to start taking the hard stuff. Sophie walked up the stairs as loud as she could. Her feet coming down heavily with each step.

"Fee-fi-fo-fum, I smell children smoking some bubblegum." Sophie sang as she approached a closed door reserved for her cousin when he came over. Without knocking, she walked right in and placed herself in a free beanbag chair. Her cousin, Josh, was sitting at his computer desk with a joint in his hand. The end of it turning a fiery red as he inhaled. He was used to her busting in randomly and his reaction wasn't as hilarious as his friends. They had quickly adverted their eyes to the floor or the walls.

Shaking her head, Sophie sank lower into the comfortable chair. Her eyes closed to inhale the smell. She took a glance towards Josh to see him turning his computer on. His password was typed in quickly and the joint hung loosely from his lips. Josh was a tall kid. If you had to guess just by appearance you'd think he didn't know how to fight. Especially if you looked around the room where Star Trek, Star Wars, Doctor Who and some cartoon posters hung from his wall. The kid even had action figures decorating his shelves. In their packages. Got on his bad side and that was another story. Sophie and him were only 7 years apart. When his mother had given him up after he got into trouble her parents quickly took him in.

They've been close sense then. He doesn't always stay here, though. Josh was usually at a friends house. Sophie's parents had said that he needn't worry about checking in every day, just once a week to know he was alive and well. They claimed that their door was always open for him. Which it was. Sophie yawned loudly. Laugh came to her ears. The other two kids in the room had finally looked up and were talking to each other. One of them was a girl. She had no idea what the other was. Her eyes squinted towards their chest.

"He's a guy," Josh's voice said over the laughter. Sophie looked over at him but he was still staring at his screen. Facebook opened and him typing away a message. She noticed the female features of the guy, but didn't comment. How someone choose to live their life wasn't her business.

"What are y'alls names?" Sophie asked sitting up. Her knees were pulled to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. They looked over at her for a moment before breaking into a giggling fit. A brow raised from under her sunglasses in confusion. Taking them off, she clipped them to her shirt and grinned.

"First timers?" She looked towards her cousin. He nodded his head once. Rolling her eyes, she got up. With a mock bow, she turned and left.

"Soph."

"Yeah, Josh?" Sophie looked over at him. A passive look on her face. He turned off his computer and turned his chair to look at her.

"Do you have any condoms?" Sophie thought it over. Running a hand through the back pocket of her shorts she pulled out three of them. Tossing them to the rack beside his door, she waved at him.

"Stay safe." With that she walked away. Whispers and laughter grew behind the closed door.

"I can't believe you asked her that!" Was the last thing she heard before making her way down the stairs. Was it really that hard to believe? Shaking her head, Sophie went into the kitchen to grab a bottled water from the fridge and placed it in the freezer. She took the one that was already in there and sat at the kitchen table. She had grown curious as to what the job may be about. If it was some UPS delivery again she'd be pissed. Running a hand through her hair, Sophie leaned over the table.

She slipped her eyes closed and imagined a place other than where she was right now. Within her mind she can be in the deepest pits of the ocean, swimming with the weirdest of all the sea creatures. She can be in the air, flying as high as she can, going wherever she wanted. She can be on a remote island where the only noises were the wildlife. A large beach with sand so warm. It would barely ever get cold there besides the occasional breeze passing by. Birds flew overhead and small fish can be seen kissing the surface of the water. A perfect escape from this life she currently lived. A small smile twitched at the corner of her lips. She can almost feel the sand between her toes, the sun blazing down at her with its beautiful rays. A soft hum escaped Sophie's lips when she heard the door in the other room opened.

Peering over the small island, she caught a glimpse of her father stumbling around talking on the phone. He was muttering some words and looking through roughed up paper. She tried listening to what was being said but he was too quiet. Her lips went into a thin line. Getting up from the table, she made her way to stand in front of her father. She crossed her arms over her chest and waited for him to look at her. He looked up from the papers for a moment and continued talking to whomever was on the other end. A pause. She was about to walk away until he handed the phone over to her. He gestured for her to talk.

"Hello?" She asked in confusion.

"Sophie," it was a man's voice on the other end. Her brow raised towards her father but he had once again reclined into the basement. Rolling her eyes she walked back to the kitchen table without uttering a word to the unfamiliar voice. "Your father has told me much about you. Suggested that I should take you under my wind. Make you learn the trade. Earn some more cash in your pockets."

At the mention of money her back straightened.

"Now that I have your attention," the voice continued, "I'd like to mention you can earn triple the amount you are currently making within a month in a single day. All there is to do is a little bit more work. For me."

"What sort of job are you offering?" Sophie questioned slowly. A low laugh escaped the mystery man.

"Details only if you accept." She can practically hear the smirk in his voice. She glared down at the table in front of her. A job was nothing if there weren't any details. But if her father had trusted him, had worked with him, than she shouldn't have much problems.

"All right," she answered. "I'll take your offer."

"Good." Something about his voice made her regret that decision. She couldn't back down now. A pit began to form in her stomach. Sophie could already tell she would have to be on her toes if she were to ever meet him. Just the way he spoke screamed at her to be cautious. The man hung up before she was able to ask the important questions; when did she start, where should she be.

"How the fuck am I supposed to know what to do if he doesn't wait for a fucking question?" Sophie growled throwing the phone towards the couch. It landed on the cushion and bounced off onto the floor. Her father came back out with papers in his hand. They were different than what he had before. They weren't torn and looked fresh from the printer. He walked around the island and placed the papers on the table, fanning them out to show her their contents. A small map with directions typed on it. Coordinates. On another piece of paper was a ticket of sorts. It didn't look like a plane ticket. Then again she never went anywhere by train. She used movies as a basis for what they could look like.

"You're going to the docks at eleven tonight." He father said slowly. Sophie's brows knitted together. She was going by boat? That wasn't something she agreed to. Or maybe it was? This job was already frustrating.

"Is it too late to back out?"

"You back out and you're not welcomed here anymore." Her father answered seriously. His tone was final. Sophie kept her eyes down. Very rarely had her father use that tone on her. He had used it on her when she got arrested and since then knew never to disappoint him again.

"Pack your things, about three bags worth of important items, and we'll head out to where we gotta be for preparations."

"What preparations?!"

* * *

It was night time. The large boat trudged through the water easily. The moon reflected off the dark water in such a way it was breathtaking. Low lights came from inside of the ship and slipped onto the deck. A figure was hunched over the side. The body heaved forward as more contents came from their stomach. A groan escaped their lips as they stood upright, clutching on to the railing for support. Crouching down, the light hit the face of Sophie. She rested her head against the cooling bar. For someone who loved the water, she didn't understand why being on a boat was causing her to feel so ill. Half her thought it was just being nervous from the new job she had taken up. She wasn't entirely sure.

A shaky sigh escaped. She had emptied any and all contents from her stomach and her throat was burning. A tap at her shoulder caused her to turn her head upward to look at who it was. She squinted against the light. It was one of the shipmates. They had a bottled water in their hands. She took it with an appreciated smile.

"Thanks," she mumbled. She was grateful the bottle was still sealed. She would have thrown it to the sea if it hadn't been. Taking a small sip, she swished the contents around in her mouth and spat it into sea. She repeated the process a few times trying to keep her eyes away from looking at the water underneath. It was pathetic. She didn't know why being on a boat was so difficult. Sophie had basically grown up in the ocean. She shouldn't be ill from something as silly as being on a boat. While she was cursing herself in her head she missed the whatever the man had asked.

"Sorry, what?"

"We'll be at the docks in about three hours. Maybe you should try for a nap."

Sophie pursed her lips together. She had gone to sleep after her father had made her go through preparations. A horrible thing that was. When that three hour long horror was done she had slept until it was time to board the boat. About six hours she would say she slept. Enough for her to decline the offer. Sophie shook her head, rolling her shoulders in a lazy manner.

"No thanks." The man nodded his head and left hurriedly. Rubbing her arms, Sophie sat up to untie the thin jacket around her waist. The weather was a bit chillier than she had expected for something so close to the equator. At least she can keep her tan going. Hopefully.

She returned to the room she was given. Her laptop on the bed and opened, waiting for her to input the password. She typed in the letters quickly and waited for everything to load up. Three hours is at least two movies. She went on to a free movie website and searched for what they had. When she found something to watch she made herself comfortable on the bed, leaned against the wall, and watched for movie play in front of her. It was the only thing she could think of that took her mind off the waves outside. Maybe it was the fear that they can get bigger than a boat can take? Like in the movies. She wouldn't want to get stuck in the middle of no where, in the ocean, for days on end. The thought of it alone was enough to cause her nerves to jolt and stomach to twist.

"Oh, God, not again," she mumbled and hurried out of the room.

* * *

South Rook Island came into view as the sun was starting to peek over the horizon. Sophie had ended up falling asleep on her bed. She had an arm thrown over her laptop that was currently playing the ending credits of Disney's Hercules. The blow horn sounded, jolting her out of her sleep. The sleeping woman stiffened at the sudden noise. For a few moments she was confused as to where she was until it sunk in. A tired groan came from her lips. She was too tired. It wasn't unlike her to sleep this much. If anything she didn't enjoy sleep. She'd rather be running around doing things. Sophie packed her laptop back up, grabbed her other two bags, and went to the deck.

The sight before her wasn't anything she had expected. A sign read Thurston Town. The place looked beautiful. Large signs pointed out shops and neon sign decorated bars that were currently closed. It was strange. Sight seeing can come later, right now she had to find her new "boss" and get more information on her job. Taking out a phone from the thin jacket, she pressed the 4 on her speed dial. It rang a few times before a voice answered on the other end.

"This better be fucking important." It was the voice from yesterday. Sophie started sweating. Was it too early to be calling.

"Sir, this is Sophie Waters. I just reached Thurston Town…"

"I'll have one of my men bring you here. Don't move from your position." Sophie nodded though he couldn't see. She hung up her phone once she heard the dead tone. She leaned up against a small wooden post, playing with a stray string. She stayed around the area, walking around to cure her boredom. She checked her phone every now and then to see how much time had passed since the phone call. Twenty minutes. Thirty minutes. When it came to forty-five a jeep finally came into view. A few men were on it with guns clutched in their hands. Sophie grew antsy. Was that her pick up? Or were they going to shoot her for trespassing? She hoped not. She bounced from toe-to-toe as she waited. The drew closer. A few had pointed her way. Okay. Silently she prayed they were just picking her up and bringing her to her new boss.

"Waters?" A voice asked. Hesitantly she nodded her head.

"Answer when you're spoken to!" One of the guys barked.

"Yes, sir!" Sophie squeaked out. Being in an unknown place wasn't on top of her ideal list. And getting killed in said place wasn't either. The group of guys laughed.

"We're only fucking with you, kid." She blushed deeply. Her nerves were frantic. Her mind was racing. Heart beating harshly against her chest. She was so confused. She took an empty seat in the back, piling her bags at her feet, and the ride to wherever they were going to was silent. They left the town and drove through a dirt road for what seemed like ever. The pit in her stomach was growing. Her father hadn't given her much information on the guy either. At least not much. All he said was that he was a sadistic bastard that was good with a knife.

Great.

Just what she needed to hear before he shipped her off.

_Thanks, dad._

When stopped in front of a nice looking building. Foreboding as it looked on the outside, she prayed silently it wasn't too bad. Once she stepped out of the jeep it drove away.

"Wait, my bags!" She called to them. They didn't stop, nor did one of them looked back. A groan escaped her lips. Perfect. Looking up at the structure, she walked forward and took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She could do this. It couldn't be as bad as she was making it out. She wished that she was able to see the scenery some more. Another time. If she lived through this little meeting. Opening the doors she was immediately greeted with guns. Hands shot up quickly.

"I'm Sophie Waters. Was told to come here…" Her voice trailed off as a man came forward and started patting her down. She looked up at the ceiling. She would be cautious, too, if she had worked for a powerful man. Sophie just didn't know how powerful he really was. When she cleared through the check, Sophie was brought to another room. A thick cloud of smoke smothered her in its toxic air. Her nose scrunched up in disgust. The smell was disgusting. Within the intoxicated room was a man. From she was able to see he was around her father's age.

Dark brown hair, tanned skin, what looked to be dark eyes. A cigar hung from his lips and glowed an all too familiar red. He didn't exactly dress in a suit and tie as she had expected. He wore more casual clothes. His posture was relaxed. If she were to meet him without the little knowledge of his skills, Sophie would think she could take him down point blank. He wore a mask of stone. It was hard to read him. He looked unamused. Annoyed, maybe.

"There's no need to tell you the boring details. Getting thrown to the wolves and fending for yourself would be easier for you." He said with no room for question. Sophie's voice caught in her throat. All she could do was nod. "You'll be with one of my men to learn the ropes." His eyes flickered to the corner of the room. She didn't turn her eyes away from him. She didn't even see another person in the room when she came in. No point making herself look more stupid.

"Enjoy your time here." His voice was flat, but a sense of sarcasm came from it. She nodded her head and turned on her heel to leave quickly. The air in that room felt more dangerous than when she entered. Something about being in there didn't rub her the right way. Sophie took a few gulps of air to steel her nerves. Whatever it was they were trying to prepare her for was a lot more than she may be able to handle. She was under the impression that she'd be keeping track of drugs. Dealing it to the civilians or something of a similar fashion. What the fuck is she really here for?

An arm wrapped around her shoulders causing her to tense up.

"Relax, hermana. I don't bite hard." She looked to her right to see a man with tanned skin standing next to her. What caught her attention first was the large scar running from the side of his head. He wore a red wife beater and cameo pants. The light reflected off of a gun that hung from his side in a holster. A frown set on her face. She wasn't a fan of guns.

"Do what I say," his voice brought her eyes up to look at his. The shadows casted around them gave him a frightening look. His pupils were dilated from some drug use. "And I won't have to put a bullet through your skull." He gave a whistle and tapped at her temple to illustrate his point. He released her from his grip and shouted towards a group of men.

"If you cocksuckers are done, let's get a move on!"

* * *

End note: Okay, so first chapter is out sooner than I thought. I'm not really happy with. With how short of an appearance they made in this chapter I fear I already did them no justice. Sobs. I'm sorry. Fuuuuck me.

I'd like to thank both** SiCoticSymphony** and **Syphonic **for commenting on the story. Thank you both for showing interest! I just hope I don't disappoint, though I think I already did that.


	3. First Rejects

Rated M for: **Language, drug use, drug reference**

* * *

The ride to wherever they were going hadn't been exactly easy for Sophie. There were no set speed limits or any real roads. It was just dirt paths everywhere she looked. Off in the distance she saw many different types of animals that she had only saw in zoos when she was younger. Buffalo, boars, and monkeys. Glancing off to the side she saw two more vehicles driving behind them with men wearing red bandannas around their faces or biceps. She didn't question why there were so many of them, so she went back to the scenery. Her eyes quickly fixed on a bear in the distance until they had turned a sharp corner causing Sophie to lose her balance momentarily.

"What's wrong, kid, never been in a Scavenger before?" One of the men from the front snorted. Sophie narrowed her eyes at the back of his head and didn't grace him with a question.

"That's really fucking rude, hermana." She heard from next to her. She glanced out of the corner of her eye to see the scarred man had took up cleaning his handgun. The sunlight reflected off of it causing a glare. She squinted her eyes against the harsh glare to take one last look at the gun before looking up at the man.

"Excuse me?" Sophie asked, brows knitted together in confusion. The man, whom she still had yet to learn the name of, looked at her from the corner of his eyes.

"Are you deaf? I said: That's really fucking rude, hermana. Someone asks you a question you answer them." She blinked at him, pursing her lips together. Was he being serious? Biting the inside of her cheek she rolled her eyes.

"I have not," Sophie answered flatly, crossing her arms. The man with the mohawk tsked and was about to say something until a loud bang echoed through the air. Blood splattered over Sophie. She stared in shock at the man in front of her who now sat dead in the passenger seat. The handbrake was applied and she was almost thrown out of the vehicle. She quickly grabbed hold of the metal rail. She held on the best she could, but the blood that had gotten onto it wasn't making it easy for her. The sounds of guns blazing rang through the air. Her mind had slowed down. Bullets were flying through the air.

She didn't know what to do. Her mind was racing with so many possible outcomes that she wasn't sure which one was more likely. Was she seriously going to die here? She didn't do anything. She just got here a few hours ago and now she was caught up in some war zone. Sophie was thrown off the back of the vehicle and landed harshly on her back. A groan erupted from her throat. The pain coursed through her shoulders and neck.

"Stay down, hermana." She heard over the sound of gunfire. She rolled over and crawled towards the vehicle to lean up against it, her back against a tire to use it as a shield. The mohawk scarred man had grabbed hold of another gun that was in the back of the jeep and had stood up, firing as he moved closer towards whoever was shooting at them. Sophie held her breath. Hands clasped over her ears to try and block out the deafening sound. She tried thinking of something else. Something that may be able to distract for the time being.

With a passing breeze the scent of smoke filled her nose. The blood that had covered her face was still there, masking majority of the scent. Curses broke out all around her then suddenly silence. She kept her eyes close in fear of what she may see in front of her. She brought her knees closer to her body, wrapping her arms around them to use a source of comfort. The sudden realization of how close she had came to dying was still a frightening experience for her. She hated the felling that draped over her. It was like a heavy blanket that was quickly suffocating her. The all too familiar shroud that death was always nearby.

Sophie felt like a child in that moment. So wrapped up in her mind. Tucked into herself for her own protection. The smell of smoke had cleared away and only the scent of fresh blood filled her nose. She bit her lip in an attempt to keep a scream from tumbling out of her throat when someone had started moving her hair from her face. Hesitantly she looked up into brown eyes. Her own eyes had trailed to the scar on the left side of the head; the familiar mohawk that adorned the scalp of the man she was to be working under for an undefined amount of time.

"Ah, hermana, this won't do at all. You can't be chicken shit during these things," his voice had a tone like a disappointed father. He tsked a few times before standing up. Sophie followed his movement. Her legs were a little wobbly and the pain from her shoulders was slowly returning. The fall had been rough on her. There were no doubts that there would be a pretty bruise there tomorrow. When she was fully on her feet she saw the carnage that had taken place. Bodies had littered the ground. The dirt road had been stained red. A few of the men that had been with them were within the mix. Her eyes strayed from the dead bodies to the man. He didn't seem very affected by it. Then again, why would he? From the way he spoke it was an every day thing.

Sophie didn't want to be in this line of work. If this was only the beginning of her new career, she would rather be sent back home. Alive.

"Collect the fucking bodies and let's go," the man ordered the remaining men. They had taken to collecting the dead bodies of those that had attacked them. They were thrown into the back of the vehicles the others were riding in. The two men that had sat in the front seats of Sophie's vehicle were not stepping forward. She looked closer at the faces the best she could and found them among the masses as well. Exactly what sort of job did she agree to?

She was shoved forward and her attention was brought to the man in the red wife beater.

"You too." He took a seat in the drivers side of the vehicle. Sophie stared at him, dumbfounded at what he had said.

"Did I fucking stutter? Get to fucking work." He barked. She quickly jogged over next to one of the men that had just started picking up another body. Sophie was surprised at the heaviness of the body. Slowly she and the man carried the dead person to the back of the last jeep. He turned to her, lowering the bandanna around his mouth with a grin.

"You'll get used to it," he assured. He put a hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. Sophie had no idea what to say. How was she going to get used to this? Dead people. Placing them in the back of some jeep to do who knows what with the bodies. She doubted that they were going to bury them. Otherwise they would have grabbed their own men.

"Hurry your ass." She quickly made her way to the scarred man and jumped in the back. Quickly the scavenger was thrown into drive and off they went.

* * *

They had arrived at the camp and Sophie was put off by the sight of so much men carrying guns. Chained fences, cages with dangerous animals, and dogs running around. They growled as she walked by.

"Vaas!" Sophie heard and turned her eyes to a man running up to the one with the scar. So that was his name. Her eyes kept fix to them as they exchanged words. Whatever the man was saying to Vaas seemed to spark something in him. A smile tugged at his lips. The mere sight of it made Sophie shudder. It wasn't friendly. If anything it was fiendish. Demonic. She did not want to know what was said or what may happen. She still had not gotten over the shock of nearly facing death.

The two continued talking and so her eyes had went back to looking around the campsite. It wasn't exactly what had came to mind when she thought of camp. Coming from the city, she didn't do much camping. Very rarely did she ever leave her city. Usually her father did those sort of jobs. Her lips pursed together at the thought of her dad. She should give him a call yet her phone was in a bag that those men took earlier in the day. Everything was in it except for her wallet. She was grateful for that at least.

Taking out said wallet, Sophie looked at the yellow electric mouse on the front of it. Humming, she opened it up to reveal a few bills. Hidden in the very middle was a small little clear bag that held a few different colored pills and some white powder. She opened the bag and grabbed a round red pill. With a quick look around she popped it into her mouth and waited for the effects to kick in. When it did her nervousness had calmed down significantly. Her legs were itching to move so she did. Standing up, Sophie stretched her arms above her head and started to wonder around the large camp to get a feel of the place.

During her adventure she hummed another song that had been stuck in her head. As she walked she had swayed her head to the imaginary beat that was playing repeatedly in her head. The song had a catchy beat though the lyrics weren't very G-rated. She had remembered hearing it playing from the speakers of someones car about a year ago. Since then the song has quickly came into her top favorites. When the "song" had ended Sophie found herself near cages with people inside of them. Living people to be more specific. She walked towards them until she was a yard away and sat on the ground. Crossing her legs, she held onto her ankles and looked them over.

They weren't very active. Their hands were bound to the makeshift cage. Each of them wore clothing from brand name companies. She had remembered some of the logos from people that she went to school with. The people had looked asleep. Sophie had almost declared them dead if it wasn't for the soft movements of their chests. Three people were in the cage she was looking in. Rocking slightly back she was able to see a few more lined up against the rocks.

It wasn't long before one of them began to stir. A boy who had to be about Josh's age. He had a glazed over look in his eyes before realizing where he was at. His eyes started to water. Sophie cleared her throat and he looked her way. She was able to see dry blood on the left side of his face. Holes of various sizes were punched through his ears. She assumed he had piercings that had been ripped out. They holes had been scabbed over except for the last one. Though it did hold dry blood. Gages must have been in there. Large ones.

How were they measured again? She didn't remember.

Pursing her lips together, Sophie swayed her head to keep herself moving. She loved the feeling. She licked her lips. A metal ball rolled along the bottom half.

"H-hey, are we going to go home soon?" Sophie looked towards the boy with a raised brow. She kept rolling the piercing over her lip. She stopped for a moment and was about to ask him what he meant until a man came by yelling at her.

"What do you think you're doing? Get away from there!" He must have been watching over the people. Sophie stood up without a word and walked away. The man mumbled a few words under his breath. She was able to faintly smell weed coming from his person but she made no comment on it. Once again she went back to walking around, head swaying to a song that played in her head. Being surrounded by so many strangers kept her on edge. Especially them being as muscular as they were. Her mind went into a scene of what if's and she stopped walking. Sophie imagined herself as being this skilled woman in fighting. Doing what Black Widow can do in terms of martial arts.

It would be so cool if she could do that for real. Though Sophie knew if she tried anything like that she would end up with a broken neck. That didn't seem all too appealing to the woman.

"Girl," she heard from behind her. Turning around quickly, almost losing her balance in the process, Sophie turned to face the speaker. He was a large man. A sumo wrestlers build, wearing a red bandanna around his head. He had a shaved head and scars running down the middle of his face. Like everyone else in the camp he was dressed in earthy tones; browns and greens. She guessed the only one that dressed remotely different was that Vaas guy. He had only been the one wearing a red wife beater that she had seen. Then again, if he was the leader of these men it would make sense.

Sophie was so deep within her mind that she didn't hear what the man had said. She just stared blankly at the man's lips as they moved. Was that a gold tooth? She squinted her eyes to try and see but he had stopped talking. She looked him in the eyes. Confusion overrunning her facial features.

"What?"

He sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Vaas wants you at the 'stage'," he said.

"You said other stuff, too." Sophie mentioned.

"I'm not repeating it all."

That said he walked away. Sophie rolled her eyes and walked off. It took her a few steps until she realized she had no idea where this stage was located. Maybe that's what the area near across the large chain fence was? What ever could he need her for? Wasn't her nearly dying good enough for the day? Once more she rolled her eyes. Of course it wasn't. Something else had to happen. Her inner monologue was interrupted by the person she had focused her annoyance towards. Through her drug induced haze, she looked up at him with a blank look. A smile broke out on her face suddenly as she ran towards the "stage". She grabbed onto the edge and swung her body up and a leg over. Standing up, she brushed her clothes off to see what was going on.

Three people were kneeling in the center. Men. Gagged with their hands tied in front of them. Sophie crouched in front of one. She started humming another song that came to mind as she looked the man over. He didn't look built in anyway. His face was gauntly. His face was sunken in, colored only by bruises and dried blood. His hair looked greasy and his clothes were a mess. Stained with blood. Sophie looked down when she smelled something. Wrinkling her nose she jumped back with disgust on her face.

"Dude, seriously? Fucking pissing yourself? You're on stage. Show a little decency." Sophie complained. The other two men that were on either side of him had tried moving away from the growing yellow puddle. The man didn't look the least bit ashamed. He looked lifeless.

"That was rude, hermano. Doing that in front of a lady? Fucking disgusting." Sophie glanced towards Vaas. He had taken to walking around the stage, observing the scene. Her eyes stayed on him as he moved about. "Now apologize to the lady."

When the man made no effort Vaas kicked him harshly in the back. His foot planted firmly onto the man's back as he was forced to lay in his own piss. Sophie watched the repulsive scene.

"Don't fucking ignore me!" His voice was harsh. Threatening. Sophie raised her brows at the sudden outburst. The man coughed something out. She didn't understand him. The others surely didn't seem to either, or they were just ignoring him. Vaas wasn't having any of that.

He took his foot off and pulled the man up by the hair. Sophie looked the man in the eyes. They weren't so lifeless now. They held pain. Sophie kept eye contact with him but neither said a word. Vaas had released the man's head and it had fallen back down to stare at the floor. Hearing the familiar cocking of a gun, Sophie turned her eyes from the man to the gun in Vaas's hand. She knew what was going to happen next. She made a face that he did not miss.

"What's wrong, hermana? Is something bothering you? It's okay." Vaas didn't even remotely looked concern. He looked to be enjoying himself more than anything. Sophie watched him quietly. He placed the gun against the man's head. "Sayonara."

The gun went off. The man's body fell to the ground with a heavy thump. Blood rushed out of his body in such a large pool. Looking closely Sophie was able to see bits and pieces of his brain among the crimson. The sight was revolting. The other two men were moving around. One tried to stand up but was quickly brought down with a muffled cry. Sophie jumped at the sudden loud noise. She hadn't expected the next round of bullets to fly. Blood poured out of the man's legs. He was laying on his side with tears on his face. She quickly focused back on Vaas who was whistling. His gun twirling around his finger nonchalant.

He stopped, grabbed his gun and pointed it towards Sophie.

"Bang," he shouted. Sophie yelped and backed away quickly. She nearly tripped over her feet. Vaas let out a laugh.

"Ah, that was funny. You should have seen your face, hermana." He grinned, sticking his tongue out and biting down on it. For a moment Sophie almost compared him to a child. She dared not voice that out loud. He may just have shot her for real if she had. She rolled her eyes.

"Oh," she said remembering why she was here. "I was told there was something you needed?" He turned his head to spit then faced her again.

"Your first lesson," he nodded his head towards the remaining two men. "Getting rid of rejects."

He tossed her another gun she did not know he had on her. She caught it before it could hit her in the face. The weight of the gun wasn't a stranger to her. Memories of holding a handgun for the first time filled her mind but was quickly replaced with other thoughts. She itched to reach into the wallet, pull out that small bag and take another pill to keep the memories under lock and key. She looked at it to the two men then to Vaas.

He whistled and his index finger went to his temple.

"Get going, hermana."

"So much manners."

Sophie walked in front of the man with his legs shot. He looked up at her. His face was getting a sickly look to it. Death was slowly closing in on him. She pointed the gun at him, turning it to make sure the safety was off first, and let out a steady breath. Vaas stood off to the side. He watched on silently. Hands together and index finger resting against his lips. His gun had been placed back into the holster that hung off his side.

Pursing her lips together, Sophie turned back to the man on the ground. She pointed the gun towards him, closed her eyes, and shot. The recoil wasn't as rough as she had expected, but the sound was still deafening. Opening an eye she saw crimson starting to pool out from his head.

"Oh, hermana, you can't close your eyes." Vaas said with a frown. Sophie looked over. He made a gun shape at his head, his thumb acting as the hammer.

"Eyes open or else you can die." He instructed pointing the "gun" towards her. She nodded slowly and stepped in front of the remaining man. He had managed to get his gag somewhat off.

"Please, I beg you, I have a family. I-I need to get back to them. I—"

Another bang rang through the air. Sophie watched the body slump over. She bit her bottom lip as she looked over what she had done. That was the third time she had killed someone. The third time she had stolen someone's future. Something inside of her was worming its way to the back of her mind. Something selfish. Something cruel. Something dangerous. She looked over to the laughing man with the scar. A blank look upon her face. She hoped whatever the feeling was didn't make her end up like him. She would do herself in if it came to that.

She quickly walked passed him, putting the gun down on a crate that had stray bullets resting on it. She barely understood what Vaas had said to her retreating back, but she held up a hand, fist closed and thumb up, to show she understood. She walked around back to where the people were and saw a few more had been added to the makeshift cages. There were now two people watching over them. One just so happened to be the sumo wrestler impostor from before.

"Uh, so why are they all locked up back here?" Sophie asked as she drew closer. The two men looked over at her. A glare on one face but a smirk on the other.

"They're are product." The smirking man answered simply. Sophie rose a brow.

"It's what you're here learning to do." The other informed her with a roll of his eyes. Sophie's brows knitted together in confusion. They knew what she was here for but she didn't? Was she going to kill them? But they just said they were a product and products were sold— Sophie's eyes widened at the realization.

"You guys sell people!" She claimed.

"You're not very bright, are you?" The man that had glared at her said. He gave a snort at the look Sophie threw at him. Her eyes were narrowed in her own glare. She walked away, hands clenched together. She didn't know how to take the information. Her father had sent her to sell people. People. How could her father force her into something as inhumane as this? She thought killing them was bad enough, but actually selling them as if they were just some sort of animal? Drugs? Slaves?

She didn't like that thought. When she got to the area she had last seen Vaas, he wasn't there anymore. The bodies were being cleaned up and a man was on his knees cleaning up the mess that was left behind. She looked around but did not catch sight of the man with a mohawk and scar. Which would be odd to miss as he stood out amongst the others. Sophie mumbled a few words under her breath. She continued her walk around the camp in search for him. It didn't last long before she took a seat on top of a crate and popped another pill. She waited for the effects to take over then continued her search. Her head once again swaying to an imaginary song. Her arms moving in a silly little dance to go along with it.

"What the fuck are you doing, hermana?" Came the ever growing familiar voice.

"There you are!" Sophie walked over towards him, staying just out of arms reach. "Why wasn't I informed that this-this-this job was about selling people?!"

"Because you wouldn't have fucking taken it? I don't fucking know." Vaas replied narrowing his eyes. She quickly shut her mouth. She didn't want to be the center of an outburst from him. She didn't know how well she would be able to handle it. He pushed passed her. The force making her stumble.

"Jerk," she mumbled under her breath. Sophie rubbed her arms and looked around. The drugs were only just starting to kick in but she was starting to get tired.

"Where the fuck am I sleeping?" She asked and went back to walking around aimlessly.

* * *

End note: Thank you **MShadowFire13 **for showing interest in the story! I hope I did/do not disappoint you with this story. :) Thank you for your lovely comment!

As I'm going to continue saying: I hope I portrayed the character right. It's always a fear of mine to make them OoC. If you feel they would not act a certain way I portrayed them please PM me your opinion. Thank you for reading! See y'all next time.


	4. Deals & Games

Hoyt had returned to his compound. The cemented walls around the area provided the best shield around him from the natives. The savages of the Rook Islands. He passed by mercenary after mercenary. His eyes narrowed at every one of them. They were the best of the best. The elite. Each trained specifically and given three simple rules to follow. He walked into the building that served as his office and headed upstairs to the room he usually resided in.

Stepping into the room he had been greeted with a sight of a large man with ginger hair. He had worn simple clothes. What caught Hoyt's attention was the gun that had been attached to his belt loop. Hoyt's eyes narrowed and he grabbed the knife he carried on his person. The man perked turned his head. It was a familiar face of an old colleague. Hoyt spread his arms as the larger man turned to face him completely. His facial features were as passive as he had remembered.

"Ah, Michael Waters, it's always good to see you again," Hoyt lied walking around him and his desk to sit in the chair. He pulled out a cigar case. Opening it, he offered the ginger haired man one. Hoyt watched him closely as the man observed each of them before picking one from the right. Hoyt quickly choose one and closed the case, putting it off to the side. They both lit their cigars. A few minutes of silenced passed. Tension felt like it was clouding the room as quickly as the smoke was.

Hoyt's eyes stayed on the man at the other side of his desk. He hadn't changed much appearance wise. He still had a mess of red hair. He had grown a stubble on his chin — something that was usually kept shaved clean. His eyes looked tired but at the same time alert.

"Put on a little weight, Waters?" Hoyt commented, swiveling his chair to look at the blinds. The shades were down but open so a little light can shine through the dark room. He watched his mercenaries patrolling the area for a few minutes. The other man in the room had made himself comfortable, propping his legs on top of the desk with a soft thump. Hoyt had ignored him for a few minutes. He knew why the other man was here. He just needed to iron out the last details in his mind before making a final decision.

The key focus of his decision was the very person who had arrived on his island hours ago. From his understanding the little bitch didn't even know that her own father was the boat captain. She wasn't prepped on what she was doing which made things a bit more difficult for Hoyt. Very rarely did he take instructions from another person. Especially since that bastard of a father died. His eyes narrowed at the thought of the old miner.

A fake cough had drawn his attention from the window back to the ginger haired man. Inhaling his cigar, Hoyt turned around while releasing the poisonous smoke into the air. The larger of the two stood up. His height may have been intimidating to others, but Hoyt knew this man too well. He was too soft-hearted. Too caring to do any real damage. Until he had snapped. Flashes of them working on a job together came through Hoyt's mind. One minute the man would be cracking jokes in the face of death while proceeding to break out of any binds he was in. The next he was brutally slamming a man's face into whatever was the closest thing. Whether it were rocks, walls, or a knife. The man had no bounds when it came to his brutality.

It made Hoyt think for a moment to why he had started a family with a whore.

"Would you like to discuss the deal or not? I'd hate to waste your time any further." Michael said while picking his nails. Hoyt let out a laugh, flicking the ashes of his cigar into a tray.

"Still the same," Hoyt commented. "Here's my offer…"

* * *

While they were speaking of the deal and its terms, back at the camp Sophie was residing in, Vaas was walking around. He had just finished his ski trip and was in the mood to start shit with anyone. And who better than the girl who had just came in today? He glanced down at the I.D card in his hand. It had been tucked into a pocket of a bag she had brought with her earlier that day. The mercenaries were kind enough to bring them all the way to his little camp.

Sophie Waters

Boonville, CA

Sex: F; HAIR: BLN; EYES: GRN

HT: 5-04; WT: 122 DOB: 07-23-87

She wasn't much younger than himself. She also was older than what he had expected her to be. At first glance one would think she was only in her late teens, not mid-twenties. Pocketing the card, he looked around for her. She couldn't have been too hard to spot, being the only woman who was able to sort of freely walked around would have been easy to spot. At least that was what he had thought. Vaas had spent a few minutes walking around trying to find the woman. His anger was starting to build up because he couldn't find her.

"Sophie! Come out, come out, come out little hermana!" He listened and looked but still she didn't make her appearance known to him. Taking his gun out, he cocked it and shot up in the air.

"If you don't come out then I will fucking find you and send your body back to Hoyt." He growled angrily. His eyes narrowed dangerously at any and all of his men that looked his way or walked by. Some had rushed their steps to get out-of-the-way from being a victim to whatever abuse he had been prepared to throw upon them.

"Sorry," he heard behind him. He quickly turned around and pointed his gun to the woman's head. Her short hair was ruffled, eyes barely able to stay open. Dirt and grass were imprinted on her cheek showing obvious signs of just waking up. She rubbed at her eyes. She swayed a bit from side-to-side. Vaas watched with minor interest, but his anger was still boiling underneath his curious look. The bitch had been sleeping during this time? It wasn't even nightfall. He grabbed onto the collar of her shirt and dragged her closer to him. The sudden force had caused her to stumble forward. From keeping herself from knocking her head against his she placed her hands on his shoulder.

Vaas watched the color drain from her face. Her eyes adverted all around at the other pirates that had slowed their walking to watch the scene unfold. She knew she was scared and it only caused a sick pleasure to build up. He put the gun back in the holster and kept his eyes on the woman in his hand. Her own eyes had quickly taken to staring at the gun even after it had been put away. Vaas tapped her head with his free hand.

"When I call for you, hermana, you answer. I don't care if you're taking a shit of fucking some prick." She nodded to the demand but her eyes still never came to look up at his. He shoved her backwards, releasing her shirt at the same time. She couldn't regain her balance quick enough and ended up landing on her backside. A curse escaped and one of her hands quickly reached behind her to touch her lower back. He watched. What was it to him if she had hurt herself?

"When I speak to you," Vaas started talking again, walking closer to her. "You look me in the fucking eyes." He crouched next to her. For the first time since she had been here she looked him in the eyes. Or made it appear so. Vaas was anything but stupid and knew that she was staring off to the right of him to avoid eye contact. Forcefully he grabbed her chin and brought her face close to his. He was able to feel her breath on his face. He had no problems being rough to anyone. There were no exceptions to his brutality. He cared not if the victim was a man, woman, elder, or child. Especially since he was so generously allowing her to stay with him.

She was lucky he didn't force her into the jungle to fend for herself. She barely looked capable of surviving more than a few minutes. The jungle was his mistress, and he knew just how ruthless she could be. Sophie would be eaten up alive by her.

"Now," Vaas said releasing her chin. A smile came to his face. "We're going to play a game with our new visitors. The last one wasn't as fun." He stood up and walked towards the cages that held the new captives. Three women and four men. They were on a boat just off the shore of his island. His men had quickly made work of their boat and brought them to him. He had many things in mind as he looked over each one of their faces.

Two of the women had been dressed in skimpy swim suits. The third was dressed in a long skirt and a bikini top. Her skirt was torn and bloody. Someone must have died close to her to cause so many stains on the thin piece of cloth. Looking over the men, they weren't better off. Bruises were on their faces. Busted lips, one must have had a broken eye socket from how disgusting it looked, and one was missing both his thumbs. Vaas looked to one of his men as they stepped forward with familiar thin cards in their hand. Taking them, Vaas matched the pictures to the people. Whistling a small tune, Vaas walked around the group of seven.

"Let's see who we have here… Jessica," he looked to the woman who had stains on her skirt. Her eyes were watering up. "Samantha," Vaas looked towards the long blond-haired woman wearing the red swimsuit. She looked like a mess. Her makeup was smeared all over her face, dark streaks of mascara running from her eyes. "And Nicole." She responded to her name with a glare directed towards him. Her hair, obviously dyed, was a mess, but otherwise she didn't look as bad as her friend. Walking closer to her, Vaas gave a smile.

"What is wrong, Nicole? Is something the matter?" He asked her. She quickly responded by spitting in his face.

"Fuck yourself." Vaas wiped his cheek slowly and then lashed out faster than anyone can blink. A loud smack from skin-on-skin contact reverberated through the air. As quickly as the action been done the woman's face quickly started to swell with a brightly. A small drop of blood dripped from the corner of her painted lips.

"I'm sorry." Vaas apologized. His thumb brushed across her bottom lip, collecting the blood. "That was really rude. Please do not do that again, okay?"

He didn't wait for a response and continued to flip through the ID cards.

"Now, let's see who you cocksuckers are, huh?" They all had their eyes trained on Vaas with a dark look in their eyes. Vaas had ignored them all completely. They didn't phase him in the slightest. To him they weren't even worth cleaning his boots. An idea sprang to mind at the thought. He put it away for later use.

"We have here: Jacob with his brother Cory. How sweet, family vacation, yeah?" Vaas laughed, flipping to the next card in the pile. "Henry, and," Vaas clicked his tongue, his eyes looking towards the last man, "Ashley." Laughter danced in his words.

"Ashley, hermano?" Vaas patted the man's face. "What a bitch name." Vaas pocketed the cards in a pocket that didn't hold Sophie's. Thinking of the woman, he looked over towards her. She was looking over the people.

"Sophie," he called. Her attention quickly snapped towards him. She was learning quickly. Grinning at the woman, he coaxed her over towards him with his finger. She quickly made her way in front him. He pulled her close, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. Sophie did better this time. There were no slouching from his weight leaning against her. The rejects had their eyes on them both now instead of just him.

"Now, before we can get this tea party started, I'd like to first thank you for being here for our newest recruit. She just started today and has already taken care of two rejects. I am very proud of her." Vaas informed them. He reached up and cupped Sophie's face with his free hand. He turned her head this way and that as if showing off a new toy. Being so close to her he was able to see a very faint scar on her right cheek. It wasn't very big, maybe an inch long. Her hair had it covered for the most part.

The light brown bursts around her pupils were easier seen as well as a few freckles that were on the bridge of her nose. He saw the dilation of her pupils that caused his grin to grow some more. She had taken something. If he had to guess it were pills. There were some orange bottles in one of her bags filled with many assorted colors. He may or may have no taken a few of them for himself. They wouldn't have been missed with the number she had stuffed in there.

"Pretty, no?" He let go of her chin and turned his attention back to his guests. "Now, I'm sure what you're all thinking: What's going to happen now? How can I get out alive? But the answer to these are very simple." Vaas walked away from Sophie and took a step closer to them.

"They both can be answered with the same thing: You're going to fucking die." Each had a different expression on their face. Jessica had released the tears that she was holding in, Samantha's sobs were muffled behind her gag, Nicole tried and failed to scream. The men had tried to lounge at Vaas. He held his hands up in mock fright. The men that had brought them in held guns up and slammed the butts of their rifles against their backs or stomachs. Vaas watched with a sick grin on his face.

He looked over his shoulder to see what face Sophie was making. He wanted to know if she was having as much fun as he was or if she was still unwilling to take part. Vaas was greeted with Sophie's brows pushed together and her thumb in her mouth. The simple posture had caused her to look younger than he had original thought again. It was unusual, but not the weirdest thing that he had seen. Turning back to the group of people in front him, Vaas whistled as he pointed to each of them, moving his finger down the line and back up it.

"We should play a fucking game, yes? Games are fun." Vaas crouched down to look at one of the women who had fallen to her knees. Her body was shaking with silent sobs.

"Sh, sh, sh, no need for tears." Vaas said in a low voice. He gently brushed her hair out of her face. Cupping her chin, he brought her face up so that she looked him in the eye.

"No need for crying, hermana." He stared her in the eyes for a few seconds then stood back up. He walked over towards Sophie and looked down at her.

"Now, Sophie," Vaas put his arm around her shoulder, using her as a support to his weight, "I'm going to allow you to choose the game from three options. And depending on your answer depends on how long they get to live." Vaas looked over towards them again when he heard more screams and louder cries. His anger quickly flared up again.

"Shut the fuck up!" He screamed and marched closer to them. He got in the face of the tallest man whose face was red with anger, glaring so heatedly at Vaas. "Do you want me to slice you the fuck open?! Shut the fuck up!"

Vaas quieted down. The man had quickly lost any fight that was in him. A playful smile came across Vaas's face. He patted the man's face.

"He's like a little pussy, no?" Vaas asked. He got laughs from his men that were watching the scene. Vaas spat off to the side then looked back at the faces of the people in front of him. They were still in some form of hysterics which made it more pleasurable for him to watch. It was the best feeling in the world. The greatest rush. To be the person calling the shots. He was the king of this island and he made sure everyone knew that.

His eyes glanced across the faces of the people one more time before jumping off the stage. He waved his hand above his head and without a word the men gathered the seven people, moving them to their cages to await their game. Vaas had started to feel that uncomfortable feeling in his own skin again. He ripped the bandages off his fingers and started picking at the scars to take his mind off of it. His men were quick to move out-of-the-way. The crash was coming. It was starting slower. He absolutely hated the feeling of crashing.

He came to his own little room and went straight to his bed. He pulled out a DVD case — Forest Gump — and took out a small bag. He flicked the bag, his eyes staying on the powder that was protected by the plastic. He quickly emptied the contents on to the DVD case, fixing it into a line, and grabbed hold of a small straw. Leaning over it, he railed the powder quickly. The effects kicked in quickly. The high so familiar. He grabbed a bigger bag at the side of his bed and made a couple more lines and railed those, too.

The feeling of being on top of the world came rushing back. He felt numb, invisible. It was still the greatest rush he had ever felt. Running a hand over his face, Vaas made sure there was nothing that indicated he had done any of it. It's not like anyone would care. He just didn't want to walk around with white stuff on his face. Vaas's eyes went to his hand. They were bleeding from the scars. When did that happen? He grabbed the white medical tape and wrapped his fingers up again. He was jittery. He wanted to do something.

A smile flashed on his face. Those tourists would be the perfect players in his game. He had a nice game in mind. Quickly he left the room and went back to the stage. His eyes snapped to the woman with blond hair. She was still there. Sitting on the edge, kicking her feet. Vaas walked over and stood in front of her. She looked up at him with confusion.

"Have you decided on the game, hermana?" He asked her, his smile never faltering from his face. Regardless if she had an idea or not, Vaas wanted to play his game. She shook her head in the negative and it only caused his smile to grow.

"Good, because I have a game to play." He grabbed her by the front of her shirt and pulled her down so they were eye-to-eye. Dilated pupils. She must have carried drugs on her. For a moment his eye went her legs. There was no bulge in her front pockets. Back pockets maybe? He pushed the distracting thoughts away. He was not in need of a new fix now. At the moment he had been focused on the game he wanted to play. The game of life and death with his new guests.

"It's like hide and seek, okay? We let them go, play a little game of survivor, then BANG! We shoot them. Yeah?" Vaas asked releasing Sophie from his grip. She massaged her neck and sat up straight. Her lips were pursed together. Seconds that felt like minutes had passed and Vaas's anger was steadily rising.

"Fuck you! We're doing it," he shouted at her and stomped off. "Gather them the fuck up."

His men quickly jumped into action. Two went in to bring the people out of their cages and another two stayed out with guns trained on them. Vaas climbed on top of the well-lit stage area again with a smile on his face. He watched as the people were brought to the front of it. They looked up at him with such malice. Such fear. It was a good feeling. He felt like a king among these idiots that dared to enter his domain. Vaas clapped his hands together, whistling as if calling a huge crowd.

"I have a game we can play." He started off, holding his hands up.

"I''ll let you go, okay? Whoever makes it over the river wins, yeah? Simple." Vaas looked around at the faces. His smile never dropping. They looked among each other with hope in their eyes. It was a comedic scene to him. They were going to learn never to come to this island. He had thought about selling them to get a little more pocket-money, but it had been far too long since he was able to play a game like this. So many players. And he had a new person who had to be shown the rules of these games. His eyes went to the woman.

She had been useless so far. He had not seen much potential in her. She was far too afraid, far too much of a chicken shit to do anything. It nearly disgusted him how he was to teach her anything. He could tell she was looking at them. Was there any emotion on her face? Any mercy to be shown? He nearly laughed at the mere idea. There were no such things here on his island. There was only the rush, the thrill, of the hunt.

And she will learn one way or another. Regardless.

* * *

End Note: Hello, hello! Gotta get this ball rolling some, yeah? ;P Wonder what's going on behind the scenes...

Anyway, once again I would like to thanks **MShadowFire13**! Your kind words are a great motivation and your messages are insightful and inspirational. Hope y'all enjoy it! See you next week. :)


	5. Bears, Oh My

**Warning(s): **Language, Drug Use/Reference, Faint Implication of Sexual Harassment.

* * *

A week had passed since the game started. Four days had passed since it had ended. Sophie, out of shock and disgust of what she had done, kept herself doped up on Ecstasy and coke. Whenever the crash was coming she would see her hands slowly become stained with crimson. Flashes of what she had done would overwhelm her conscience.

Sophie had nearly overdosed twice within the last few days. Only once person had even cared enough to help get rid of the substance from her system. If it had not been for Jose, the big guy she had met the first day she was here, she'd had been dead and probably fed to the tigers. When he had found her the first time Sophie was planning on offing herself. She didn't want to be labeled a murderer. That was much worse than a drug addict; than a drug dealer. Jose had forced Sophie to throw up the contents of her stomach and made her take a shower. The second time was accidental, but still Jose was there for her. When she was able to ask him why he replied simply that his own daughter had overdosed and didn't want another father to lose their child.

She decided to try and cut back on the usage, to get back to her "normal" amount. It was hard, but she had handed over her pills and coke to Jose so she didn't feel the need to pop another pill or snort another line. Sophie was trying so hard to stop the dependency she built around the drugs and forget the horrible mistake she had done at the same time. But that wasn't easy, either. Still she can remember the expression that woman had on her face. The blood that poured from a once beautiful person. The screaming that pierced her eardrums. The crying. The begging.

Sophie forced her eyes shut and clutched onto a small pouch that hung from her belt. She tried pushing the memories back. The words that instigated her actions were there, heard just through the screams of mercy. The voice of that monster she had to work under. Sophie no longer wanted this job. There had been too much killing within her short amount of time here. Too many reasons to resort to abusing the drugs she so desperately wanted to quit. She hated it.

Her eyes slowly went to the phone in her other hand. Sophie thought of calling her father numerous times. The disappointment he may feel at her wanting to quit was what had caused her hesitation. But, can he honestly be disappointed in his daughter for wanting to get away from somewhere that was causing her mental breakdowns? Sophie's thumb glided over the keypad gently. She mimicked the numbers of what would be her father's number. Sophie bit her lip as tears stung her eyes.

Maybe. Just maybe, he would be.

He had been disappointed in her for less. She continued to run her thumb over the numbers until his voice had cut through the air. Another game? She didn't know if she was ready for that. She knew she wasn't ready. The small phone disappeared into her pocket and her hand went to the pouch again to give it a little squeeze. It was a simple little pouch made of animal skin. It was only filled with a little bit of sand, but it served its purpose as a comfort item.

Sophie looked around for the man with the mohawk. She had came to the conclusions days ago that he was certainly bipolar. He had frightened her many times during the little game. He had taunted her during her lowest times. He didn't care about anyone but himself. It was obvious he was vain. Sophie rubbed her eyes and muffled a yawn. Exhaustion was overcoming her body from not having much to do. The lack of motivation to do anything mixed in with the two near-death experiences was taking its toll on Sophie. She rubbed her eyes to try and disperse the drowsiness but it had little to no effect.

"What's wrong, hermana? No overdosing today?" That damned voice. Sophie opened an eye and saw a jeep with a few bricks of cocaine being piled in the back. Looking towards the source of the voice, Sophie frowned. He was still ragging on her. "Nothing to say, yeah? Fuck you."

He throw a tarp over the drugs and shouted stuff towards some men. They climbed into the jeep and took off. Sophie watched them. Her mind had gone blank and she subconsciously started digging her nails into her wrist. A sudden pain across her cheek threw her out of her stupor. Her head had turned with the force behind what had hit her. It took a few seconds to register what had happened. Sophie blinked in surprise, her hand resting on her stinging cheek. She looked at Vaas who was cussing at her. He had his gun at and was waving it around. When he noticed that her attention was on him he put the gun away.

"Stop fucking ignoring me. It's very fucking rude. Now look at you, hermana. Already starting to bruise." Sophie stiffened when Vaas walked closer. She clenched her jaw as he rose a hand. Her eyes quickly went to the ground. Rough hands cupped her face. It was strange how gentle his touch was in that moment. His sudden changes of moods was giving Sophie a case of whiplash. Her eyes slowly peeked up towards his. He had already done his lines. Sophie couldn't help but notice how they accented his eyes, made them appear brighter. It was sickeningly beautiful.

"Now," he said slowly, "we have a Doctor to visit." He kept his eyes on Sophie for a few moments. She could feel anxiety building up. She didn't know what to do. He had finally pulled away but walked backwards, keeping his eyes on her. Sophie looked around. The anxiety slowly leaving her, releasing tension with each step her took. He turned and continued walking. A loud whistle made her flinch.

"Come on you fuckers, let's go! We're making a house call!" Vaas shouted. A few cries came in response. Sophie looked down at her wrist. A curse escaped from her lips. She had managed to break skin. She took the bandanna that she had and tied it around the self-inflicted wound. Her cheek was still smarting. It hurt to move her jaw. Sophie spat. Some blood was mixed in with the saliva. Disgusting. At least it wasn't too bad, right?

Sophie watched as two jeeps stopped in front of her. Neither held the Pirate Lord in them. Looking where he had been heading to, she saw him talking to one of his men. She climbed in the back of one and once she sat down they took off. The other jeep had taken off in another direction than where they had gone. She took this time and allowed her mind to travel into the memories she didn't want to go into. A demented game that Vaas had created and somehow coaxed her into.

* * *

Sophie sat on the back of a jeep, watching what Vaas was doing to the people he had captured. He was informing everyone of the so-called "rules".

"Now, if you pieces of fucks can make it over the bridge than you can go home. Sounds like a good deal, yeah? I'll let only one of you go at a time for a week. And if you fail, well," giddy laughter escaped from him, "you get to be put here."

He walked over to seven sharpened bamboo shafts that stood upright in the dirt. "As a fucking reminder to your friends, okay? Who's first?"

* * *

"Remember fuckers! First one to get them gets the cash prize!" Sophie was running through the forest among the pirates in search for the man they had released today. It was the third day and they were on the third man; Henry. She had become sick to her stomach at the sight of the impaled heads of the men that were unable to escape from the crazed men in the camp. She didn't want to see their lifeless eyes staring at her anymore. The cries that ripped from the throats of the survivors were haunting.

"I got him!" She heard to her right. Sophie slid to a stop, nearly losing her balance in the slick grass and headed towards the direction. The rule that Vaas had set in place were no weapons allowed. You can only use your body to bring them down. Then they dragged the unconscious, or dead, body back to the camp where they get beheaded in front of their friends. A sick game, really. But the rush Sophie had of running through the jungle was addicting.

* * *

Jessica and Nicole were left. Ashley had died by running into a tiger. The men all had opened fire on the large predator and was brought done in a rain of bullets. Ashley had ended up bleeding out from his neck where the fangs had ripped into. It made it easier to get his head off. Sophie had watched from a distance and it became a reminder that the jungle wasn't a playground. This time that she was here, Sophie had taken two shrooms (one cooked with the steak to allow it to absorb and the other cut up and used as a sort of garnish on top of it), and was enjoying the feeling that came with it. Relaxation and lightness. She let bellowed out with laughter as she raced through the jungle. It seemed like plants and trees were growing out of no where, and when she slowed down it seemed like everything would fly forward and turn small then rush towards her.

It caused an excitement that she hadn't felt in a long time. She had only done shrooms three times. The first time was at sixteen, another at twenty-two, and now. This feeling was so much better than getting high off pills or angel dust. Jose had given them to her earlier for the game. He mentioned something about them growing underneath a Doctor's home. It was interest information.

Sophie stopped, her chest heaving. She listened close and heard the sounds of crying not too far away. It seemed like the plants were parting for her. Leading her to Jessica. Sophie bit her lip as a large smile threatened to stretch across her face. Underneath her relaxed state of mind, Sophie had so many negativity built up that was clawing its way to the surface. With each step it seemed like the plants were dying. It seemed like her little world was turning dark as thoughts swirled in her mind. The plants took on a menacing look. Sophie finally found the source.

Jessica was stumbling around looking all over the place. Adrenaline was doing its job. Soon as her eyes landed on Sophie, they grew larger. A scream ripped from her throat and she took off running. Sophie right behind her, laughing all the way. Being in track had helped Sophie catch up to Jessica in no time. Reaching out, she grabbed Jessica's hair, planted a foot firmly on the ground, and yanked back. They both went falling down. Immediately Jessica had started to try and get away. Hitting Sophie the best she could. Sophie hissed as she felt nails pushing into her cheek and legs kicking her thighs, but she was able to force Jessica underneath her.

"Now, now, don't be so rude." Sophie said over Jessica's screaming. She grabbed hold of Jessica's wrists and slammed them against the ground. She didn't notice the rock jutting from the ground until Jessica stopped fighting. "Oh," Sophie said, lifting her wrist. The rock had pieced the skin pretty good. It was much sharper than it looked.

"So sorry." Sophie frowned.

"F-fuck you." Jessica spat in Sophie's face. She scrunched her face in anger and released the wrist that was too injured to do much damage. Sophie's fist made contact with Jessica's face and a crack met her ears. Nose already broken. Blood gushed out. It only served as an enforcer. She released the other wrist and started her onslaught. Jessica wailed, trying to buck Sophie off, protect her face, anything. Nothing was able to protect Jessica from Sophie's blows. Left fist. Right fist. Left. Right.

She heard movement behind her and didn't bother to turn. A whistle came from behind her and shouts were ranging around her. From her peripheral she was able to see boots walking up to them. The person crouched down next to Sophie and a laugh escaped from the man's throat.

"Wow, hermana, didn't know you had it in you." She heard. The voice was drowned out by the cries of the woman underneath her. Voices coaxed her. Slithered into her ears and clawed at her mind. She couldn't stop. Within minutes Jessica's cries had cut off. Sophie kept hitting her, the woman's face underneath her kept changing into other people. Vaas, her father, her mother, that bitch that ratted her out. It wasn't until she was pulled off did Sophie blink. Her eyes were dry and she felt as if she was just waking up.

She looked down at her hands. The knuckles were bruised and bloody. The warm liquid had ran to her hands and under her fingernails. Slowly her eyes went to the woman who she was sure had died from a concussion. Her hands were hurting. She looked to see who had pulled her away. It wasn't anyone she had remembered talking to, but that didn't stop Sophie from turning and burying her face into his shoulder. She didn't want to look at the outcome of what she did.

"She's fucking dead, all right. Fuck, hermana, didn't know you were capable of this." She heard Vaas laughing. "Let's bring her back before her fucking blood attracts something."

With that said they all made their way back to the camp. Men came up and patted Sophie on the back, made comments, played it off like a joke. Was this seriously an every day thing for them?

* * *

Sophie was pulled out of the memories by the jeep jerking to a stop. She looked up at the house that rested at the top of the hill before glancing around. There was a greenhouse not too far away from the building and a little gazebo at the edge of a cliff. There wasn't much to look at. Her eyes went to the door as it opened to reveal an old man. His hair was white, eyes appeared bagged, a bit sunken in, and light in color. His wrinkles betrayed his age; to Sophie he looked far too old to be able to be doing any sort of work. He appeared to be older than her grandfather. A dirty lab coat with the sleeves rolled up, opened to see a lime green buttoned-up shirt (equally as dirty). Sophie knew nothing of the man other than what the men that had brought her said. He was a doctor, came from England and was who they turned to to get their drugs.

The man watched them from his doorway until they all started piling out of the jeeps. Sophie moved amongst them, her body tensed as the man's eyes loomed over her and passed to look at the others. It was strange. Sophie had never thought that there would be any sort of modern day doctor here. Then again she wasn't informed of anything. The pirates, the job, what appeared to be unlimited amount of drugs (most being hallucinogenics or opiates.) It was, in a strange way, calming to see that there was marijuana growing within the greenhouse just off to the side. Sophie stood in the back of the small group of five, the men doing the business. A quick ear was able to tell that they were doing a simple deal; the amounts exchanged brought Sophie's eyebrows to her hairline. So much drugs for so little money? She didn't know well she would fair here.

Another look around gave her the answer to the contrary: there were so many drugs in their herbal state and they were on an island. It didn't look like the man needed money. Maybe for some new clothes. Sophie snorted until one of the men elbowed her roughly. She rubbed the assaulted area, glaring at the man.

"What?" She hissed. The man glared back, the bandanna giving him a more intimidating appearance. Sophie reeled in her anger and repeated the question with less hostility.

"Follow him." Sophie looked between the pirate to the old man and back again. Pursing her lips together she decided it best to just follow orders and walked around the group of men to stand next to the so-called Doctor. She looked at him now that she was close enough. His eyes were much paler than she had thought. Dilated pupils — was everyone on this island drugged up? Something strange was in his eyes. A moment of familiarity? She recalled not having had met this man before. Mistaken identity was the more viable answer.

"And you are?" He asked looking her in the eyes. It was unnerving, his eyes, but she answered.

"Sophie." The doctor nodded his head and walked off to the side of his house and continued. Sophie looked at the group of pirates and followed after him. He was mumbling things to himself. His eyes darting this way and that. It was as if he was reading from invisible text. From what she was able to hear he was listing off the process of creating crack. She listened closely, taking mental notes every so often. It wouldn't hurt to help and bring this information back to the States. The rock form of cocaine wasn't something that Sophie had dabbled into making, she just got it for the people that wanted it then grabbed the money. This would help boost her money income when she returned. Her father had knew the recipe but would often tell her to find out the answer herself as he did. The end results were never good. Or good enough. She secretly hoped that returning home would be soon; this p lace was far too untamed for her.

They walked into the greenhouse. Sophie stood back with arms crossed over her chest and watched the doctor go to work. He walked around a table that held some tools. Picking up each object as he passed them, he took his time working. Pulling the necessary items from underneath the table or from shelves and began dumping certain measurements for each of them into tubes. Pursing her lips she tried to remember method he was doing. Sophie watched as he used two different methods. Reciting them to memory wasn't as easy as she had hoped. She didn't know exactly how much of anything he had put into it. The only thing she was able to keep track was, was the amount of white powder that he added to both mixtures. Different amounts for two different methods? Seemed likely.

"I don't usually ask those that come here," his voice brought Sophie's attention from the boiling tubes to the old doctor, "but what are you doing amongst the pirates? You don't come off as ruthless." Sophie did not know what to say. Lying would be her best bet. Then again, there was no reason to lie. Why should there be? With a shrug of her shoulders, Sophie ran her fingers over a couple plants that sat on the table.

"My father sent me here. I think it was to 'harden me up' so to speak." Sophie said, dropping her hand to her side. "He always thought I was soft." A corner of her lips twitched downward for a moment. She pinched her lips together and continued looking around. There certainly were many plants growing inside. They hung from shelves that hung overhead, vines interwoven together and may cause a hazard at some point. Sophie didn't like how some of them look so carelessly taken care of. Then again she knew nothing about gardening. Preening plants weren't something on the top of her To-Do list when growing up. Her father's orders always came first. Clients and money. Maybe she should take up gardening when she got back to the States. It dawned on her once again how little she knew of her stay. Sophie rubbed her arms. She regretted taking up the job now that she saw — been apart off — what goes on around the camp. The mere memory of it was enough to nearly cause her to drop from a panic attack, but she held together with memories of her job and how it brought her moments of happiness.

While she was busying with the memory of balancing on a long board, controlling the movement as she sped above the waters surface, Sophie missed the last few steps of the process. Her eyes went out of focus for a few minutes before the strange Doctor had started rambling to himself. Blinking, she met his eyes with her own. Her brows knitted together and her lips pinched together as she tried to figure out what he had said.

He shook his head, a smile on his face. She watched the old doctor walk around, picking small bottles from the shelves. They had different plants in them from what Sophie was able to see. Different shades of green and different shapes to each leaf. She was going to question him but was silenced by the pirates walking in. An exchange of money and product was made — she hadn't realized it was done — and they were dragging her out. Sophie looked over her shoulder at the Doctor. He simply stood in the doorway with an unfocused gazed. She questioned herself what he could have been thinking about.

It was thrown from her mind as she was shoved carelessly into the backseat of the jeep. Her eyes narrowed at the ground. Sophie wrapped her arms around herself, planting a foot firmly to keep her from flying across the seat as the driver sped off. The pirates made comments here and there. Laughing and saying crude things.

"Aren't we supposed to be showing her around?" She heard one of the pirates ask over the roaring wind. The jeep steadily came to a halt at the side of the road.

"Yeah, wouldn't want the princess to lose 'er way, no?" The driver answered. She looked up and saw their faces. The strange looks caused Sophie's fight or flight instincts to kick in. The grins were not something she wanted to see. Running away seemed like the best option. If anything were to happen to her out here, who would believe her? Certainly not anyone back at that hazardous camp. Without thinking about it, Sophie grabbed on to the rail on the jeep, swung herself out, and took off running into the woods.

Shouts were being thrown behind her. A bullet even whizzed passed and was rewarded with another yell; "Don't shoot her, ya dumb fuck. Vaas will 'ave our 'eads if she's dead!"

It only caused her to pump her arms more. She heard her name being called and promises of not getting hurt if she returned quickly. There was no way Sophie had believed a word of it. Even if it meant running away from the responsibility her father had placed on her, she just didn't want to return to that camp. They sold people. They killed people. The thought of what she herself had done to that poor woman while only being her for a short while caused Sophie face to pale. She was changing her into something she did not want to be. And right now running seemed to be a better option than returning to that camp.

"C'mon out, Sophie. It's not like we were gonna do anything. We was kiddin'." Sophie slid into a large bush near a tree. She pushed herself against the trunk as far as she could. Her arms wrapped around her knees and she shut her eyes. Her heart was beating so hard against her ribs. A stitch in her side made it hurt to breath. But she felt better. To have gotten away even for a short amount of time. She hoped to whatever God would listen to her that she would be able to go home. To leave this island behind her.

"Where is that fuckin' bitch." The voice was close to her hiding spot. She wrapped a hand around her mouth to silence her breathing. The crunching of twigs and cussing were the only noise she could hear above her beating heart. What would she do if they found her? Probably whatever they were thinking of doing back on the jeep. Not a pretty mental image.

Sophie nearly cried when she saw a barrel of a gun push through the bush she was in. Just as it was starting to part the leaves of it, a roar was heard. Two of the pirates shouted. The barrel disappeared and Sophie was thankful that they hadn't found her. But it was short lived as she peered out. A large black animal was running towards them. A bear.

Sophie cursed her luck and wanted to cry. She was going to get mauled by a bear if the idiots were unable to do anything about it. She watched as the bear latched onto one of the men by their throat and easily crushed it between it's jaws. Sophie looked away quickly. She didn't want to see the blood and have another nightmare added to this life. She climbed out of the bush and kept low. Gunshots rang from behind her. The screams that she left behind were enough to create mental images.

Another roar from the bear. Another bang from the men. Figuring they were taken care of each other, Sophie allowed her body to take over. Getting back on her feet, she ran. The gunshots no longer echoed behind her. But a roar was there. Looking over her shoulder wasn't the smartest move, but she did. And she made eye contact with the bear. It got on fours and started running towards her.

"This is fucking bullshit!" Sophie cried feeling tears prick the back of her eyes. The bear was gaining, that she had no doubts about. She remember reading somewhere a black bear can run up to 40 MPH. And mix that with how ever much the large beast weighed called for trouble. She saw some rocks and took off towards it as fast her legs would allow. A stitch was forming in her side again. Sophie had to ignore it if she wanted to live. And oh how badly she wanted to. To return home to a soft bed.

She didn't look back this time as she climbed over the rocks and saw a flowing river below her. To the right was a small waterfall. Very few rocks were at the bottom, but the growl behind her made the decision for her. With a pray, Sophie leapt off the rocks. Before she hit the water her eyes looked at the cliff and saw the bear leaving. When she broke the surface, she didn't see the rock just a few feet underneath the water. Her head roughly bounced off of it as the undercurrent grabbed hold of her.

* * *

End Note: I'd like to think that I could have done better with this chapter. Especially with how long it took before I shoved it out. I fear I did not get the Doctor's character down as best I could, either. Which is unfortunate because he was one of my other favorite characters in the video game.

There is a poll up on my profile to vote on either Jason or Vaas. For what would probably be obvious; it'll deal with future chapters and how it will affect the ending. Please vote! And please get others to vote as well, even if they don't read the story. Thank you for being patient. Any advice is welcomed! Any grammar or spelling mistakes of **always** welcomed! See y'all next time!


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